Rebirth of the Beasts
by Gabriel Polaris Skye
Summary: :)
1. Rebirth

The Evertree was full again. Its golden leaves towered over the volcanic walls of the crater, as if reaching up towards the open sky, noisy with the song of birds.

The ground started to shake. It sounded less like an earthquake than…footsteps. The ground shook with each thundering step. Then, as if dawn had broken, there was a light. A blinding flash of light engulfed the tree for an instant. When it disappeared, something stood before the tree.

An enormous elk. Its majestic antlers twisted to form a cage, head held in a regal stance. Hanging from one of the antlers was a small platinum figure of an elk, jiggling with each shaking step.

Tellun was back.

Another flash of light engulfed the Evertree, and Rumfuss appeared, closley followed by Dinesh and Cabaro.

On the other side of the trunk, Suka ambled out, with Gerathon, Arax and Mulop close behind.

High up on the branches, perched Halawir and Ninani.

In the distance, Kovo came wandering towards the Evertree.

The Great Beasts had arrived.

Tellun was the first to break the tranquil silence,"It is the beginning of a new era." His voice was deep yet rich, and demanded respect.

He turned to Kovo, gaze hardening,"You have broken our oath to be Guardians of Erdas, and endangered the entire human race. We gave you a chance to renounce your evil works, but you refused. I must therefore proceed to your imprisonment. Cabaro, Arax, make sure he arrives in his prison." The sounds bounced off the mountain walls, leaving eeiry echos.

"With pleasure." The lion advanced, tail flicking menacingly. He leaped, soaring over the branches of the tree. The lion landed a body-length near Kovo, and pinned him down using his large paws, claws fully extented. The ape wriggled under the paws of Cabaro, to no avail.

Cabaro snapped the cord that hung from his neck. A mini ape carved from obsidian clattered to the ground, and rolled to rest beside Tellun.

Arax lowered his horns and charged straightonto the thin stretchof land that connected Nilo and Stetriol, carrying Kovo on his head, with Cabaro watching closely. The ape's voices of anguish were drowned out by the large clompping of hoves that followed the ram.

Tellun then nodded in the direction of Mulop and Ninani, then his gaze bore into Halawir and Gerathon.

Halawir flapped his wings vigourously, eager to escape, but Mulop's tentacles held his legs back. Another tentacle shot out and grasped the Bronze Eagle from his neck. He then waddled into the sea, and shot forward with a burst of ink.

Ninani the Swan had Gerathon in her claws, ready to take off. She launched herself up into the clear blue sky, with her prisoner's body trailing behind.

Beside the Evertree, a faint glow started to take place. The soil parted, and four elaborate carvings rose from the earth.

The Silver Wolf of Briggan.

The Amber Leopard of Uraza.

The Bamboo Panda of Jhi.

The Copper Falcon of Essix.

"What…do…with these?" grunted Rumfuss, hooves scraping the earth.

"We return them to their original owners." Dinesh stepped out from the shade. He was gigantic, with his head touching the canopy of leaves.

"Agreed. We leave soon," responded Tellun.

They waited for dusk.


	2. Reunion

Given the choice, Rollan wouldn't have given up his birthday to help train the recruits. He would not have even helped train the recruits, but Olvan, leader of the Greencloaks, had insisted Rollan help out with the training.

Essix, the legendary falcon, was perched on one of the cracks that jutted out from the walls. She ruffled her feathers, and let out an indignant squak.

"I know, I know. I don't like this either, but its Olvan's orders." Rollan said,"Just perch there and watch us okay?"

Essix cawed, clearly unimpressed.

As the recruits poured in, the falcon fluttered to rest on one of the higher cracks.

There were people from just about every continent in Erdas: Niloans, Zhongese, Hundred Islanders; Rollan was sure he spotted an Arctican. They sat down in the centre of the room.

"Hello, recruits. I am Rollan, summoner of Essix."

This caused a few murmurs in the crowd.

"Today, you will learn how to—"

Before Rollan could finish his sentence, the ground started to rumble. It shook in steady rhythmic patterns. The first picture that came into mind was, Tellun is here, but he knew it was impossible. The Great Beasts had sacrificed themselves more than a year ago. Still, Rollan knew he'd felt the vibration somewhere. Dismissing the recruits, he rushed outside.

Meilin was there, along with Abeke and Uraza. Conor came running through the door, Briggan loping energetically beside him. Essix circled the cloudy sky above Greenhaven Castle. With a flash, Meilin released Jhi.

Olvan and Lenori were also there, accompanied by their spirit animals.

Jhi let out guttural, panda-like call. A few moments later, a bone-shaking roar filled the air. Olvan tensed, a grim expression on his face. Only Lenori was calm. Sensing danger, Conor called Briggan back to dormant state, and the rest followed suit.

Out of the trees, a lion jumped into the clearing. With a shudder, Rollan remembered this familiar creature.

Cabaro.

With a mighty trumpet of his trunk, Dinesh charged into the fields, followed by Suka, Rumfuss and Arax.

Mulop waddled ungainlily out of the woods, trying to look dignified, while Ninani hovered over him.

A loud noise coming from the trees anounced the arrival of Tellun.

In his cage of antlers hung four additional talismans. The elk lowered his head, and the four mini statues fell off, falling to the ground with a clatter.

Conor knelt down and gingerly picked up the talismans, and handed them to Rollan, Meilin and Abeke, who "Thank you,"he said as he turned back to Tellun.

Tellun towered over him, his antlers catching the light. "Erdas is in danger once more. Other beasts have come to our land, plunging Erdas into peril." Meilin and Abeke both gasped.

Rollan wore a puzzled expression on his face."But… how?"

Tellun looked worried,"Have any of you here heard of Erdara?"

Only Meilin spoke up. "Erdara is a land parallel to Erdas. It is rumoured to house other Great Beasts in its lands."

Mulop creeped forward,"True. There is almost no way any mere creature could travel from Erdara to Erdas, or vice versa. It takes the power of all the Great Beasts in one place for some kind of path to open, which amazingly, it has. The beasts are appearing everywhere, in the most unexpected places. This leaves Erdas in danger of starting a war. Had I expected this? No I had not." The octopus had a weird habit of talking to himself, due to years of isolation.

The air suddenly grew cold. Birds cawed from the distant mountains. The sky above them darknened, and began to swirl.

A flash of light illuminated the darkness. When the light died, the sky returned to its normal brightness, as if nothing had happened.

In front of the eyes of man and beast, now stood a giant tarantula. Its fangs were twice as long s those of Suka's, and they were dripping with green venom.

The Great Spider had arrived.

With a flash, Conor released Briggan. Except Briggan wasn't tiny anymore. He was a gigantic moster of a wolf, muscles rippling through silver fur. He gave a long howl, which echoed from the mountains. A few moments later, similar howls came from over the mountains.

The Great Pack was on their way.

Conor realized with a start that Briggan wasn't the only big one. Uraza had grown to a tremendous length, lengendary violet eyes twinkling with mischief. Jhi and Essix circled around each other, looking amused.

Briggan suddenly became aware of the presense of his fellow beasts. He and the other Four Fallen reached Tellun and bowed down low, which the Great Elk acknowledged with a curt nod.

The spider bent down and launched itself into the crowd of Great Beasts, and fell right into Dinesh, who trumpeted with outrage.

Fangs raised high, she bit into the elephant's rough gray skin. Dinesh roared with pain, and shook his head, trying to shake off the arachnid. The spider landed neatly on its legs, and addressed Tellun.

"Tellun." A voice boomed in Conor's head, dripping with melachony.

"Arachna," came Tellun's reply.

With a snarl, she soared up into the clear blue sky, over the Great Beasts, landing near the gates of Greenhaven Castle.

"Close the gate!" bellowed Olvan, but he was a second too late. With another leap, she slipped inside the closing doors.

Tellun immediately took action. He lowered his head, antlers scraping the earth, and shook. The Platinum Elk fell from the cage on his head, landing in front of Conor's feet. Mulop was next, placing his Coral Octopus talisman next to Tellun's. One by one, the Great Beasts sacrificed their talismans, positioning them in a row beneath Conor.

The Obsidian Ape, the Jade Serpent and the Bronze Eagle were presented by Tellun, but neither Kovo, Gerathon nor Halawir could be seen. Unfastening the Silver Wolf from his neck, Conor placed it on the ground, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan doing the same.

As soon as all the talismans were present, each began to glow a different colour. They merged into a brilliant white, blinding everyone. When Conor finally managed to open his eyes, a familiar sight took his breath away.

The Staff of Cycles. The staff with the top of a sheperd's crook, a sight Conor knew too well. The staff with the combined power of fifteen talismans. The staff that Kovo the Ape once wielded. The staff that nearly destroyed the world.

Tellun bowed his head, muttering,"Keepers."

The others followed, unblinking eyes filled with mystery.

Conor reliazed with a shock that Tellun's eyes were directed to them. Not Olvan. Not Lenori. Them.

Appearently, Olvan and Lenori had figured it out before he did, as they were already on their feet.

Conor blinked. This couldn't be true. Out of all the Greencloaks, all his friends, how could it be him? More than two years ago, he was just a lowly sheperd boy serving his master. He had hardly believed that the Great Beasts existed, and yet, there he was, standing before the assembled Great Beasts, all bowing to him. Still, Conor couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.

He, in turn, knelt down, and picked up the Staff of Cycles reverently.

Courage instantly began to seep through Conor's body. For a brief moment, he felt no fear, just happiness and pride. It was interuppted by giant Briggan, who held Conor by the scruff of his shirt, placing him on his broad back.

"Attack!"


End file.
